Who remembers last week’s lesson?

Who remembers last week’s lesson?

Always look up to the Lord for help!• Anyone bitten by a poisonous

snake that looks at the bronze serpent was healed

• This helped them remember that God will take care of them

What does the bonze serpent represent?

Memory Verse from previous week“We have sinned,

for we have spoken against the Lord

and against you.” – Numbers

21:7

Last week, did you pray…?

“My crucified Lord, have mercy on me”

THE EXILE IN BABYLONGrade 4 & 5 Girls Sunday-schoolSt. Mary COC

What is Light?

What is Darkness?

Purity Righteousness Love LIFE!!!

Sin DEATH!

Is there anything God HATES?

SIN!It is the complete opposite

of Him

What does it mean to be “exiled”?

To be forced out of your own country.

In the Old Testament, the children of God had many kings, one after another…

Many kings did not obey the commandments of the Lord and many of them sinned, turning the people away from God…

God, being patient with them, sent prophets to tell them to repent, saying:

“Turn from your evil ways, and keep My commandments and My statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by My servants the prophets.”

Nevertheless they would not hear, but stiffened their necks, like the necks of their fathers, who did not believe in the LORD their God..

(2 Kings 17:13-14)

King Zedekiah also did evil in the sight of the Lord and so did the people.

They continued to disobey the commandments of God

This made the Lord angry“…He finally cast them out from His presence”

(2 Kings 24:20)

What do you think happens if God “casts people out

of His presence”?

No more protection!…That’s what happened to the people

in Jerusalem and Judah because of their sin: They were exiled both from God’s presence and from their own

country.

Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came to fight

Jerusalem

His army built a wall around all of Jerusalem and they captured it…

The people inside suffered from a famine

King Zedekiah tried to escape through the wall with the people, but Nebuchadnezzar’s army chased them, caught king Zedekiah and all of his army got scared

and ran away.

Nebuchadnezzar punished king Zedekiah by killing his sons in front of him, putting out his eyes, chaining him, and bringing him to Babylon.

Nebuchadnezzar sent one of his captains to destroy Jerusalem…

His army burned down the house of the Lord, the king’s house and all the houses of the people with fire.

They stole all the things that were made of bronze, gold and silver from the temple of the Lord

They captured almost all the people and brought them to the king of Babylon.

Only very few of the poor people remained in Jerusalem…

While the people where exiled, held captive in Babylon, they suffered for a long time and finally returned their

hearts to God.

…Just like the people in Jerusalem, sin SEPARATES us from

God…

“…God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the

light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses

us from all sin.” (1 John 1:5-7)

God also sends us many, many teachings to remind us to keep His commandments, love each other, and

stay away from sin.Why does He do this? To make our lives

difficult?!

Not at all….

God warns us to stay away from sin because He knows that sin is dangerous for us and

that there is no place for sin in His kingdom!

What should we do?1. Recognize our sin. Examine our hearts, words and

behaviours to see how we might be offending God. Say: “God be merciful to me, a sinner” (Luke 18:13)

2. STOP the sin right away(!), REPENT, and run to CONFESS this sin;

3. Have COMMUNION regularly to have the power of Jesus’ body and blood in us;

4. Do our best to stay away from sin and do as God commands us to do. Jesus said: “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” (John 14:15)

5. TRUST God’s promise that, if we “walk in the light”, we love and care for each other, and we trust in Jesus, He will cleanse us from ALL sin!

“…Walk as children of light” (Ephesians 5:8)

Memory Verses

1) “God be merciful to me, a sinner” (Luke 18:13)

2) “…God is light and in Him is no darkness

at all.” (1 John 1:5)

Homework: Use your Spiritual Notebooks (SNBs)! Repentance & Confession Especially

during the Advent Fast (fast before Christmas)

QUIZ What does being “exiled” mean?

Fill in the blanks: “…God is ______ and in Him is no ___________

at all.” (1 John 1:5) Sin ____________ us from God God sent ____________ to warn the people to

repent King Nebuchadnezzar was the king of __________

LIGHT DARKNESS

SEPARATESPROPHETS

BABYLON

What was the name of the king of Jerusalem? King Zedekiah

QUIZ What did Nebuchadnezzar do to king

Zedekiah? He punished him by killing his sons in

front of him, putting out his eyes, chaining him, and bringing him to Babylon

What did Nebuchadnezzar’s army do to Jerusalem? They burned all the houses and the

temple, stole the precious materials from the temple and captured the people.

What should we do to “walk as children of light”? Have FAITH in Jesus, REPENT, CONFESS,

have COMMUNION, stay away from sin, love everyone, and obey God’s commandments.